Fife Council TV series scoops BAFTA award

The Three-part BBC documentary 'The Council', which featured the Fife authority, has been awarded a prestigious Scottish BAFTA.

Director Stephen Bennett and his production team at IWC Media were presented with the accolade for Best Features and Factual Series at a glittering ceremony at the Radisson Blue Hotel in Glasgow.

The three-hour documentary, broadcast by BBC One over three weeks in December, 2016, offered a candid look at at the Fife authority and its frontline staff as it faced punishing budget cuts, and higher than ever demands for its services.

The film crew spent several months following council employees in the day-to-day work for the organisation with programme narration Glenrothes-born actor Dougray Scott, who described the council as; “The organisation everyone loves to hate.”

JP Easton, team leader for Community Learning and Development, working with deprived communities in Glenrothes, was one of those who featured in the series.

Tweeting shortly after being presented with the award, Bennett wrote: “So utterly chuffed to win BAFTA Scotland for Best Factual Series. Unexpected cos the others are very strong contenders but incredibly delighted.”

And Steve Grimmond, Fife Council chief executive was quick to ofer his congratulations.

He said: “We hoped that taking part in the documentary would give the public an insight into the trials and tribulations of trying to deliver a service to 370,330 residents, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“The documentary was largely well-received and I think gave the public a greater understanding of what we are trying to do here.

“I have congratulated the staff who took part in the programme for being part of this success and want to thank them again for being such a great example of the hard-working and committed workforce we have at Fife Council.”

JP Easton, area CLD team manager at the Fife authority, and one of those featured in the series, said he was delighted by the news.

“It comes as a very pleasant surprise, as it highlighted the hard work many ordinary folk do on the frontline and gave them the credit they deserve.”

It’s the second time that the film maker has won a BAFTA. In 2016, Bennett’s Dumblane - Our Story, a documentary marking the 20th anniversary of the school shooting tragedy, also landed the top award.